Gabimichigami Lake

How big is Gabimichigami Lake?

How deep is Gabimichigami Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Gabimichigami Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Gabimichigami Lake?

Gabimichigami is a deep, clear, Canadian Shield Lake Trout lake. It is currently managed for Lake Trout and Northern Pike. Walleye and Smallmouth Bass were not native to lakes in this area, and neither species has been found in Gabimichigami Lake or any lakes above it in the watershed. This was to have been the second of two standard surveys scheduled in the 2007 lake management plan to monitor Lake Trout and Northern Pike abundance, size, and growth rates, and to better determine the make-up of the nearshore fish community. The first survey (2010) was not completed due to a shortage of staff and funding.

Lake Trout numbers and average size seemed to have been down in this lake. The 2015 Lake Trout gill net catch in deep and shallow sets combined (1.00 fish/set) was the lowest seen to date in this lake. The Lake Trout catch in deep gill net sets was just within the normal range for that gear (1.37 - 4.69 fish/set) when used in similar lakes in this area, while the Lake Trout mean weight fell below the normal range (1.37-3.02 lb/fish). Mean weight for the catch was reduced by the presence of several small young Lake Trout, encouraging in that it indicated successful reproduction and recruitment were still occurring in this lake, despite the low number of adult fish taken in 2015. Growth of young Lake Trout had been quite slow; fish reached a mean length of 9.4 inches by the end of their fourth year, compared to an area mean of 12.1 inches.

Fair numbers of Northern Pike were present in 2015, and some larger fish were found. The combined catch in deep and shallow gill net sets (0.75 fish/set) was similar to catches seen in this lake in the past, as was the mean weight for fish collected. Both fell with normal ranges for lakes of this type. Growth of young Northern Pike had been slow; fish reached a mean length of just 11.1 inches at the end of their second year, compared to an area mean of 15.3 inches in similar lakes.

Catches of Yellow Perch, White Sucker, and Burbot fell within normal ranges for lakes of this type, and were similar to catches seen in this lake in the past. The only cold-water forage species known to be present and available to Lake Trout in this lake are Burbot and Sculpin. Northern Pike forage would have been limited to a few Yellow Perch and some of the smaller White Sucker.

Seining at selected sites added Iowa Darter and Western Blacknose Dace to the list of fish species known to have been present in this lake. Neither species seemed to have been abundant.